Bath therapies can be used to relieve various aches, pains, and topical ailments by immersing a portion of a subject's body into the bath or soak. The skin may benefit from a soak as the soak can stimulate the skin, provide relief from skin irritations, such as itching, and/or provide moisture to the skin. In some instances, therapeutic agents may also be added to a bath or soak to provide a subject with further therapeutic benefits.
It is known that nitric oxide possesses a broad-spectrum of antimicrobial activity and may be used as an alternative to conventional antibiotics for drug resistant bacteria. Furthermore, some recent studies have demonstrated that nitric oxide may also play an important role in the wound healing process by promoting angiogenesis through stimulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and increase fibroblast collagen synthesis. See Schaffer M R, et al., Diabetes-impaired healing and reduced wound nitric oxide synthesis: A possible pathophysiologic correlation. Surgery 1997; 121(5):513-9; and Shi H P, et al., The role of iNOS in wound healing. Surgery 2001; 130 (2):225-9. Furthermore, nitric oxide has been shown to have other beneficial properties, including reducing inflammation and participation in wound healing biochemical cascades.